MASA eLeader

	Jan 22, 2010

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Speaking of leading

“These are times that demand sacrifice from everyone. We can either fight one another or we can fight together to protect our children’s future.”

- William Mayes, MASA Executive Director, in the Huron Daily Tribune 1/16/2010, regarding the need for considering employee concessions to balance school budgets.

“…the Commission’s greatest fear is that the State will miss the opportunity, in this time of fiscal crisis, to change course from 30 years of disregard for this key provision of the Headlee amendment.”

- from the cover letter of the final report of The Legislative Commission on Statutory Mandates (See the article "The Legislative Committee on Statutory Mandates" below for more information)

MASA/MASB Legislative Conference

March 10
Bring the Fight to Lansing

On Wednesday, March 10, superintendents and school board members from across the state will unite and descend on Lansing for the annual MASA/MASB Legislative Conference. The timing of this year's event will coincide with the early stages of the budget process and allow you to have the greatest impact on the final outcome.

Be sure to come and let your legislators know that you've cut costs and achieved greater efficiencies at the local level, but as other costs keep increasing, more revenues are needed to sustain the quality education system Michigan's children deserve.

This year's event will conclude with a march to the Capitol and a call to action from the chair of the SOS Task Force, Tom White.

Mackinac Center posts school health insurance information

Center posts database of school district employee insurance costs in more than 500 Michigan districts

School leaders might want to check the accuracy of the data reported in a new online database posted at www.michiganschooldatabases.org. Then they might want to explore the possible money-saving options being modeled by other Michigan districts.

More than 95 percent of Michigan school districts’ 2008-09 health insurance costs are available online, Mackinac Center Director of Education Policy Michael Van Beek announced earlier this month. The database contains information reported directly from schools on all their employer-provided health insurance plans. Details include the plan provider, plan title, monthly premium costs, employee contributions and number of enrollees.

“District-provided employee insurance costs Michigan schools nearly $2 billion per year,” Van Beek said in a prepared release. “This database provides many important details about how that money is being spent at the district level.”

The center reports that a majority of school districts complied with Freedom of Information Act requests in a timely manner. Some districts limit their contribution to monthly premiums and allow employees to choose from a number of plans. The employees then pay the difference between the premium of the plan they choose and the district’s contribution. Several larger districts are partially or completely self-insured, which enables them to control costs by paying only for actual claims made by employees.

“Rising health insurance costs combined with declining enrollment and state-based tax revenue makes it imperative for schools to explore new ways of reducing employee insurance costs,” Van Beek said in his release. “This database can assist school districts in that endeavor.”

The online database can be found at: http://www.michiganschooldatabases.org.

Hard times, Hard choices: Michigan Citizens Deliberate

The results of a “deliberative poll,” show Michigan residents willing to reform Michigan’s tax structure

A weekend-long event held in Lansing during November, 2009 brought together Michigan leaders and 300 citizens to discuss critical issues related to Michigan’s economy and other areas, leading up to the 2010 election. This unique gathering brought together citizens from across Michigan to deliberate about the state's economic crisis. The citizens came to listen and they came to be heard.

The event is captured in a 56-minute documentary report that gives voice to the citizens of Michigan who all too often have been overshadowed by a public discussion dominated by politicians. The documentary which aired Monday, January 18, 2010, on Michigan PBS stations, features highlights of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s address to the group on Friday night, and of the Saturday keynote address by University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman.

The event also featured three panel discussions, on poverty, unemployment, jobs and education; spending cuts and taxes; and Michigan’s future policymakers and pundits.

The participants were a statistical microcosm of the state in age, education, employment (and unemployment) and political persuasion. Participating in a Deliberative Poll, upon arrival, the participants filled out a questionnaire to determine what preconceived notions and opinions each held on a wide variety of issues directly related to Michigan’s problems and possible solutions.

Over three days and two nights, the participants worked with facilitators from the Center for Deliberative Democracy, debating the issues in small groups and in large conferences in which panels of experts, with often opposing viewpoints, fielded their questions and provided their insights. The topics included tax policy, funding for education (particularly middle school, in which the state lags behind), reviewing prison sentencing and incarceration rates to reduce the fiscal burden, reforming the health care system for state employees, transportation, the “brain drain,” the consequences of term limits on the legislature, public assistance, and the best ways to redesign the state’s economy away from its reliance on automotive and manufacturing and a toward high-tech, ecologically friendly economy.

On the final day, the participants were polled again, and the results showed a dramatic swing in attitudes and opinions in several major areas:

Respondents were much more willing to support increases in the state income tax and sales tax to eliminate cuts in education and some other social services.
Respondents were persuaded that cutting both the Michigan Business Tax and reducing small business taxes were among the best ways to attract and keep businesses, thereby creating jobs.
Support for increased investment in a “green economy”, agriculture, and tourism also went up significantly during the weekend, as did support for a high-tech, knowledge-based economy.

View complete Deliberative Polling results and supporting documents from the event…

Deadline approaches for school business official award,
MSBO Nominations to close on January 31

The Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) Awards program offers your only opportunity to celebrate successes and let the spotlight shine on business officials in your school district.

The deadline for MSBO Awards is January 31. The Meridian Award of Excellence acknowledges successful practices, publications, programming, you name it, in all areas of school management and education.

Details, criteria and applications are on MSBO's Web site (http://www.msbo.org/about/index.shtml).

Entries for all awards can be sent to nhawkins@msbo.org or faxed to 517-327-0768, attention Nancy Hawkins.

New Legislation prompts changes in PC guidance

MASA’s ActPoint PC Road Map now updated

Users of the ActPoint PC Road Map will find it easy to implement the Personal Curriculum changes signed into law as part of a recent package of education reform legislation. Public Act 204 (2009) makes changes to section 380.1278b of the Revised School Code, and consequently to MDE guidance on the personal curriculum. These changes include…

A personal curriculum may be requested after a student completes grade 9. A student must still complete 1.5 required mathematics credits prior to requesting an Algebra II modification and must complete 2.0 social studies credits prior to requesting a PC to modify the MMC social studies requirement in order to earn additional credit in English language arts, mathematics, science, and/or world language, as required by law.
A personal curriculum may be requested by school personnel.
A student may request a personal curriculum to modify Algebra II after completing—without necessarily having attained a passing grade in—1.5 required MMC mathematics credits. A student who requests and receives a PC to modify Algebra II must still complete a total of 3.5 required mathematics/math-related MMC credits prior to graduation.
The personal curriculum committee must include a teacher who currently teaches the student, has expertise in the content area being modified, and/or is determined by the principal to have relevant qualifications.

Updates reflecting these changes are now reflected in all affected MDE guidance documents and ActPoint Road Maps.

SET Employee Beenfits boats extensive options and significant savings in 2010

SET Employee Benefits understands that the challenging economic conditions facing schools require innovative solutions. That’s why when designing our insurance programs, we offer an extensive selection of comprehensive health benefit plans. No two school districts are identical, and our products are designed to meet the unique and diverse needs of the districts we serve.

Alternative carrier options

SET Employee Benefits offers plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as well as alternative carriers including Priority Health and HealthPlus.

Priority Health plans incorporate prevention, wellness and chronic disease management, which helps keep employees healthy, benefit levels high and health care costs low. Its extensive statewide network makes Priority Health a convenient, cost-saving alternative.
Potential savings: Up to 20 percent
Flint Public Schools estimates it will save $3 million after switching its employees to a HealthPlus plan.
Potential savings: Up to 10 percent

High-deductible health plans (HDHP)

These consumer-driven health care plans are combined with Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and have excellent cost-saving potential.

Self-funding solutions

Your district may be paying more for dental and vision benefits than it needs to. To learn more about whether self-funding is a smart choice for you, view our video available at www.setseg.org. Select “Employee Benefits” followed by the link for “Employee Benefits Podcasts and Videos” on the right-hand side of the screen.

Experience real choices and real savings with SET Employee Benefits.

Contact your SET SEG Account Executive!

1-800-292-5421

MASA news:

Midwinter Conference 2010 starts Wednesday
Keynote speakers include... Robert C. Bobb, Michael Flanagan, Mary Kusler (AASA), James Eck (McREL), and more.

The Conference Agenda final draft is now available online; preview it now to decide which clinic sessions you want to attend.

midwinter conference:

Midwinter Conference: Kids Against Hunger

Wayne County school children, service groups partner with Michigan Association of School Administrators to spread the word about Kids Against Hunger

More than 100 Wayne County school children will join forces with the Kids Against Hunger Michigan Coalition, the Plymouth Kiwanis and the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA) on January 27 to help feed the hungry around the world — and encourage others to do the same.

The food-packaging event will take place at the Renaissance Center’s Detroit Marriott in Downtown Detroit as part of the MASA Midwinter Conference that will attract superintendents and other school district leaders from across Michigan. MASA members will be invited to join the Wayne County students on a food assembly line in the hotel’s Ambassador Ballroom where they will work together to measure, weigh and package the 13.8-ounce bags of nutritious rice-soy casserole mix that can each feed six adults or 12 children.

Middle and high school students from Romulus Community Schools, Garden City Public Schools, Grosse Ile Township Schools and Redford Union Schools, as well as several other Wayne County school districts, will be on hand to help. The goal of the packaging event is for school district leaders across the state to experience first-hand the power Kids Against Hunger has on young people and inspire them to take the program back to their schools and communities.

Kids Against Hunger is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to providing food to malnourished and starving children throughout the world. The organization partners with local schools, churches and other community groups to organize food-packaging events where as many as 20,000 food bags can be assembled in a three-hour period. Last year alone, Michigan school children packaged more than 1.7 million meals through Kids Against Hunger. One-third of the food from each packaging event goes to local food banks to help those in need in the community, one-third goes to feed the starving in Third World countries, and one-third goes to help those in the U.S. and worldwide struck by natural disaster.

“Our goal with the MASA food-packaging event is to reach out to school districts throughout Michigan with this incredible program,” said MASA member and Northville Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leonard R. Rezmierski. Over the past four years, Northville elementary and middle school students have come together with students from schools in Detroit and Hamtramck to package food for Kids Against Hunger through a partnership with Bridgepointe (a local non-profit organization that bring together school children from different backgrounds to learn and work), the Plymouth Kiwanis (which provides funding and manpower), and other local community and school groups.

“Our hope is that students come out of the Kids Against Hunger experience feeling good about helping someone else in need and that they are inspired to become involved in community service,” Dr. Rezmierski added.

For more information about Kids Against Hunger, visit www.kidsagainsthungercoalition.com. For more information about the MASA Midwinter Conference visit www.gomasa.org.

guest commentary:

Michigan’s Compulsory Education to Age 18 legislation sends a mixed message

Guest Commentary by William L. Coale, Ph.D

The message is on target: you need to get your full dose of education in order to have a chance at success in meeting the demands of the 21st century workforce. Unfortunately, the cart has been put before the horse once again. The work that needed to be done prior to implementing such a significant change in public policy is that of addressing the needs of at-risk students in a timely fashion. Read this as, “We need an articulated, comprehensive alternative education structure for students in our middle and high schools.” Lacking this, the problem of early drop-outs will continue, and the lame-brained option of allowing a parental excuse note to allow their child to drop out is a quick way of short-circuiting the intent of the legislation.

Historically, a significant portion of the drop-out population comes from problem-ridden homes, yet these students are the ones who are most likely to take the escape route via the parental note. Similarly, those parents who are at wits’ end trying to keep their kids in school are likely to succumb to the daily pressures and sign off on the future of their children…tragic, indeed.

The problem of high-school dropouts is not historically a high-school problem, yet that is where the attention has traditionally been given. All too often, schools of last resort (aka Alternative High Schools) do their darnedest to get kids back on track to the road to graduation and a meaningful, successful life. Results are mixed, and part of this is due to the practically non-existent intervention system for middle school age students—the time when many kids start to veer off course in significant ways.

Therefore, before we can sincerely send the message that all Michigan students should be in school until they graduate, the powers that be need to take a serious look at the following questions:

Are we providing appropriate alternatives that will actually keep students engaged to the point that they can graduate?
Are we utilizing alternative instructional delivery modes such as distance learning to help reach all students?
Are we intervening early enough to support success rather than employing 11th hour desperate attempts to save students?
What message does the “opt out” provision send, and why should it be allowed?
Are we providing an education that is meaningful to all students?
Are we honestly ready to make the commitment (finally!) to the success of ALL students?

If the answer to question #6 is “yes”, then much work needs to be done, and in short order. Perhaps intermediate school districts (ISDs) could be the appropriate agency to offer county-wide alternative programs (combined with vocational training opportunities) for students in middle school and above. Whatever the agency or venue, this area MUST be given serious attention. And please…please…take a second look at allowing the “Please excuse Johnny from school from now on…he’ll be busy being unsuccessful” notes to ever be written. It’s bad for Johnny, and bad for Michigan.

William L. Coale, Ph.D. is a retired Michigan superintendent who is now senior advisor with the Coale Education Group, Inc. Dr. Coale can be contacted at wmcoale@CoaleGroup.com

The views expressed in articles submitted to MASA do not necessarily represent those of the MASA staff, Council, or Executive Board. We welcome your feedback and invite you to join the dialogue.

MDE news:

New Flanagan Podcast now online

With Michigan’s federal Race to the Top grant application now submitted to the Education Secretary Arne Duncan, state Superintendent Mike Flanagan highlights some key components that will put Michigan’s application at a competitive edge nationally, and sets straight some of what MDE calls “misinformation” spread about the development of its education reforms.

http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-37818_45256-230033--,00.html

The Race to the Top grant application and Executive Summary can be found on the MDE website and at the links below.

Michigan Race to the Top - Executive Summary

Michigan Race to the Top - Application

in case you missed it:

Mandate report should embarrass state

"A new activity or service or an increase in the level of any activity or service beyond that required by existing law shall not be required by the legislature or any state agency of units of Local Government, unless a state appropriation is made and disbursed to pay the unit of Local Government for any necessary increased costs."

That's some of the key language of the Headlee Amendment, a constitutional change made by the voters 30 years ago to put controls on state government.
A new report by the Legislative Commission on Statutory Mandates, says not only is the state failing to abide by the Headlee directive, it has buried local schools and governments in at least $2.2 billion in unfunded mandates.

The actual figure could be even higher, as the commission's final report admitted: "The underfunding only for those mandates for which the Commission could deduce credible estimates is between $2.2 billion and $2.5 billion in 2009 alone" (emphasis original).

"The result of this chronic non-compliance," said the commission's interim report, "is that for over 30 years the State has systematically transferred to local governments the responsibility for various functions, some of which are worthy activities or services, but which the State has not wanted to pay for, in direct contravention of the Headlee Amendment."

The commission members conclude in their cover letter to the legislature:
“… after 24 Commission meetings, and countless additional hours of meetings, analysis, debate and complete consensus, the Commission’s greatest fear is that the State will miss the opportunity, in this time of fiscal crisis, to change course from 30 years of disregard for this key provision of the Headlee amendment. Implementation of our recommendations, will not only encourage compliance with the Headlee amendment prohibition on unfunded mandates, but will also foster more efficient government and greater, and badly needed, collaboration between the State and local units of government.”

View the report…

Read the full column…

Source: Lansing State Journal editorial, 1/19/2010

What Makes a Great Teacher?

As the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to MASA member Larry Godwin of Menominee ISD shared this article from The Atlantic magazine with the following comment:

"I was on the road this morning listening to NPR and heard the author of this article. This article is worth reading and sharing, so I did both."

Parents have always worried about where to send their children to school; but the school, statistically speaking, does not matter as much as which adult stands in front of their children. Teacher quality tends to vary more within schools—even supposedly good schools—than among schools.

But we have never identified excellent teachers in any reliable, objective way. Instead, we tend to ascribe their gifts to some mystical quality that we can recognize and revere—but not replicate. The great teacher serves as a hero but never, ironically, as a lesson.

At last, though, the research about teachers’ impact has become too overwhelming to ignore. Over the past year, President Barack Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, have started talking quite a lot about great teaching. They have shifted the conversation from school accountability— the rather worn theme of No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s landmark educational reform—to teacher accountability. And they have done it using one very effective conversational gambit: billions of dollars.

Thanks to the stimulus bonanza, Duncan has lucked into a budget that is more than double what a normal education secretary gets to spend. As a result, he has been able to dedicate $4.3 billion to a program he calls Race to the Top. To be fair, that’s still just a tiny fraction of the roughly $100 billion in his budget (much of which the government direct-deposits into the bank accounts of schools, whether they deserve the money or not). But especially in a year when states are projecting $16 billion in school-budget shortfalls, $4.3 billion is real money. “This is the big bang of teacher-effectiveness reform,” says Timothy Daly, president of the New Teacher Project, a nonprofit that helps schools recruit good teachers. “It’s huge.”

Despite the perky name, Race to the Top is a marathon—and a potentially grueling one; to win, states must take a series of steps that are considered radical in the see-no-evil world of education, where teachers unions have long fought efforts to measure teacher performance based on student test scores and link the data to teacher pay. States must try to identify great teachers, figure out how they got that way, and then create more of them. “This is the wave of the future. This is where we have to go—to look at what’s working and what’s not,” Duncan told me. “It sounds like common sense, but it’s revolutionary.”

Read the full article…

Source: The Atlantic, January/February 2010

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching/3

research report:

Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement

Michigan ranks in the bottom five states in the nation in terms of achievement among economically disadvantaged and students of color— a factor that could hurt the state's chances of winning in the federal Race to the Top competition, according to a national report released January 14.

The analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Education Trust trailed a University of Michigan Study (see next article) released January 13 that found African-American males in Michigan have the lowest high school graduation rate in the country— 33 percent, compared to 74 percent for white males in the state.

It's another blot on the state that came under national scrutiny in December when Detroit fourth- and eighth-graders scored lowest in the nation on the National Assessment of Education Progress. The results were the worst in the 40-year history of the prestigious exam.

In the report, “Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” The Education Trust uses NAEP data from every state to illustrate the pitfalls in one-dimensional appraisals of gaps. The report then suggests ways to gain a more comprehensive, accurate picture of equity.

For a true understanding of the gaps in student achievement, regardless of the measure being used, educators and policymakers must examine data from at least four different perspectives:

Simple Gap Narrowing: Have gaps in performance between student groups decreased over time?
Progress for All: Have all groups of students gained over time?
Gap Size: What is the magnitude of the gap between groups?
Group Comparison Across Jurisdictions: How does each group of students currently perform relative to their counterparts in other schools, districts, or states?

Read the Education Trust report …